sdmrourchlg sprt storm here in the united states right now. the same storm that has already hit cuba, haiti, on its way to canada. i'm suzanne malveaux. we'll get down to it here. we are talking about this powerful life-threatening storm on a collision course with the most populate area of the country. hurricane sandy taking aim at the mid-atlantic coastline and the northeast. at last check it was about 205 miles southeast of atlantic city, new jersey. massive storm could affect 60 million people. we are talking from virginia to massachusetts. forkers to expect sandy to combine and cause a cold front that will cause massive power outages, and snowstorms and flooding. mountain areas of the state could get two feet of snow, so

already starting to fall, and fema, federal emergency management agency, says the storm damage from wind alone could reach $3 billion. we're also going to be hearing from the president about 45 minutes or so from the white house. he is going to be making a statement, updating the conditions of what the federal government is doing to tackle this horrific storm. forecasters expect that sandy will make landfall as early as tonight. the eye of the storm appears headed for jersey shore. the delmarva peninsula. it's an area that includes delaware, parts of maryland and urban search and rescue teams already standing by in maryland, waiting for deployment orders from fema. coastal maryland getting ready, already pounded by a strong waves, high surf. martin o'malley is following developments from the emergency management center. governor, first of all, thanks for joining us. i know this is a very busy time for you. i was just in maryland over the weekend visiting with family and

friends, and clearly a lot of people right now quite tense about what is about to take place. you have search and rescue teams in place. we've seen dramatic people. what is the one thing that you are most concerned about now? >> well, right now is the storm that starts to come ashore, and we're most concerned about the potential loss of life. i mean, we need for people to stay off the roads. we need for them to stay indoors, and to shelter in place and to shelter from this really intense storm. we have not seen something th that -- our goal right now is to act as responsibly as we can as individuals so that we minimize the loss of life that will no doubt happen as this killer storm comes to shore. >> has your office already started getting calls for help? >> we have not had any sort of

rescue operations that i am aware of as of yet, but we do have -- we do have fast water rescue teams that have been predough ployed throughout our state. we've mobilized over 500 of our maryland national guard, and they are deployed in all of the emergency operation centers. fortunately, unlike some other storms, this one gave us several days notice, so we are prepared. we prepared for the worst. unfortunately, given the turn of this storm, it looks like we're going to be the recipients of her worst. >> we are looking at pictures of bwi, the airport there. clearly, a lot of airlines shut down and not the kind of images you normally see there. it's a bustling airport. use it often. people who are in maryland essentially are stuck now in maryland, and what will they expect in terms of power outages? i know there are a lot of people that believe they could be without power for days and perhaps weeks. >> well, without a doubt we will be facing massive power outages.

the utility companies have been able to bring in more mutual assistance this time because they had advanced warning, and hopefully as the storm moves further north, more crews will be freed up to move north from southern states. so right now there are about 3,000 some linemen that have been brought in to our state from other states that are ready to go out and start what will be a long and difficult restoration process, but we are clearly -- i mean, if you look at the storm -- it's actually intensifying in its center. i'm told that the winds at the center are now up to 90 miles an hour. it's approaching a category two status, so we are going to see power outages that will be massive in our state, and we want to get people restored as quickly as possible, but before we can do that, we all have to hunker down, protect one another from this storm by staying indoors and staying off the roads.

>> thank you very much. >> want to head to new york's long island. hurricane's wind and rain slamming the city of lindenhurst. some neighborhoods are already beginning to flood. our jason carol is in one of those neighborhoods. jason, tell us a little bit about the effort of the folks that are trying to pack up and get out. >> reporter: well, let's set thestein e scene for where we are right now. we are in lindenhurst, long island. this neighborhood is already experiencing some severe flooding here in this particular section. the reason for that is because you have the great south bay right behind me to the south there, and then you have canals crisscrossing through this area, so even though we haven't even seen the worst of sandy yet, you can see the waters are already thigh-high. this is the preeley family here. this is actually a street, not a canal. they got in their boat and decided final to get out. you were patient enough to wait for us. what made you finally make the decision it was time to go? >> the water was getting in the house. >> water was getting in the house?

>> it's going to be worse later. >> i've been hearing from everyone here in the neighborhood that already what we're seeing here, the effects of sandy, are already worse than what we saw with irene. >> absolutely. absolutely. >> now, you see you have packed up the dog. you were under a mandatory evacuation, but you did decide to wait until this moment. did you think that there was a time you could actually ride it out? >> yeah. >> we did until the winds really started picking up. the tide wasn't going out at all, and it was well past high tide. >> i think a lot of public officials are going to be glad that you are heeding the warning and deciding to get out. i'm going to let you get on with your boat. thank you very much for waiting. suzanne, i also want you to take a look down the street here. the guy that you see in the scuba gear, his name is paul. he is a lifeguard. paul, come on over here and talk to me here for a moment. take off the goggles and what not. i know you have been down here in the neighborhood. you've been monitoring things. obviously, you're dressed appropriately for the occasion, but i know a lot of public officials want folks like you to head on out. >> um, yes. however, i'm real close to the

main road. i would rather keep an eye on my house, keep an eye on my neighbors' houses and make sure everything is safe. the water didn't get into my house during irene, but i think there's a chance tonight. at 11:00 p.m. is going to be the high tide. i think that's what it's going to be the worst here, so i still have things that i would move up and if i have to get out, i have scuba gear. i have surf boards and a kayak, and the street is right there, and can i get out. >> your house here is the yellow house, right? if you can just set the scene for our folks here. if you can see the house right next to him with this white house here with the gray tile, can you see the water obviously must be heading into that house already. you know, i have been asking you this question. you are under a mandatory evacuation. officials want folks like you to heed the warnings and leave. what would it take for you to heed the warning and to leave? >> when i determine it's unsafe or if i guess declared marshall law and forced me to leave? >> all right. >> well, already we're seeing the water here rising at thigh high. winds starting to pick up just a bit here in lindenhurst, long island. suzanne, once again, under a mandatory evacuation. that's my photographer, steve --

i keep saying that name. if you turn around right now, you can see that they're already starting to bring in some more canoes. that's to help some of the folks here who have decided stay in their homes to help them so they can indeed get out in somewhat of a timely fashion, try to stay a little bit dry, which is difficult, as you can imagine, this type of situation. suzanne. >> all right. jason, thank you very much. we know that in newark, new jersey, mayor cory booker, he is warning residents that hurricane sandy is a lot, lot worse than hurricane irene. that storm, of course, caused a lot of worry in the tristate area last august. in the end irene was a little more bark than bite, and so i want to bring in the mayor to talk about this on the telephone here. are you concerned that people might not be taking this that seriously? >> i absolutely am, and that's the biggest concern that we have all through our first responders and emergency preparedness people now is to not realize

where there are areas that flood. the brunt of the storm is going to hit during high tide, so you have high tide and the storm surge during the full money. it's going to be a very, very perfect situation for epic flooding in places like newark, and so, you know, having people not using precaution, not leaving now before the storm hit really sets up a situation where they could be stuck in their housing without power well past the time that the storm leaves and the storm is going to be twice as long in duration than irene was. then you also get the problem where people might realize, hey, it's time to go, but at that point many of the main access routes out of our city or to higher ground are blocked. even during irene we had to do numerous rescues where the water rose. we had to get a small aquatic team out to rescue them.

we're asking people to use commonsense, to embrace prudence and caution and leave the flooding areas of our city. >> mayor, very quickly here. if you can, where do people go? if they are in newark, if there is flooding, they need to leave, where should they actually be heading? >> well, in newark and in all of essex county we have a number of shelters. in newark we have a family-friendly shelter called j.f.k. in essex county we have the cody arena. they can call 211 for information in general about the northern new jersey area or in our city they can call 973-733-4311 and get all of that information. they can hear it all from my twitter feed accident facebook. we're putting it out in every way that we have. the key thing is right now the primary concern we have is the immediate safety of our residents as this storm barrels in with significant force. mayor, thank you so much. want to bring the governor on

governor chris christie is talking about what more needs to be done. >> we need people to stay off the road. motor heists should check 511-nj.org for up to the minute information on road closures. we'll talk about the power situation. right now state-wide, these are approximate numbers, everybody. they're approximate numbers. 35,000 people state-wide without power. 21,000 of those are the atlantic city electric area. 13,000 from jcp & l and about 1,000 for psg & e from orange and rockland county company. bpu is working to assist after the industries obtain the needed approvals for essential sji employees and subcontractors to access atlantic city many support of the combined heat and power generation units servicing revel and borgada, and we're also monitoring the utility

companies' efforts to open stage and housing areas to accommodate the thousands of outside crews and their heavy equipment that are migrating into the state to assist in our recovery efforts and that stuff has already begun. currently there's 15 staging areas that set up around the state to accommodate the influx of crews. the crews will be housed and dispatch from those areas to where they're needed. we're also working with the new jersey state police to obtain needed authorization to enable jcp to land helicopters at the company's staging areas, which are open fields if and when necessary to try to move folks around more quickly. bpu continues to receive updated information from the four companies regarding external aid secured through regional mutual aid agreements, and for private contractors. i know we've discussed this over the last few days, but if you do not have power, please do not choose today as the time you decide to tap in to your creative juices and jerry-rig a power source. we need to be careful of the

potential dangers of portable generators and back feeding during a power outage during the dangerous alternatives that folks may pursue. please, we said this the other day. if it looks stupid, it is stupid. ure going to wind up hurting yourselves and others. there's going to be a long period of time for some folks where we're going to be without power here. we are only the beginning of the storm. the storm is still, you know, a couple hundred miles off the new jersey coast, and you are seeing what's happening already. >> governor chris christie. you're listening to a news conference. in his blunt manner, saying if it looks stupid, it is stupid, discouraging people from jerry-rigging their own power, warning folks they're going to be without power for days. it's not yet developed into that, but they are preparing for that. new jersey was the first state to announce mandatory evacuations. the tolls have been suspended as well as new jersey transit system has come to a screeching halt as they prepare for hurricane sandy, and, of course, with eight days left before the

election, this hurricane has got the campaigns thrown out the fourth quarter playbooks and really trying to figure out what to do next. wee take a look at while the storm, what it could mean for the race for the white house. energy is being produced to power our lives. while energy development comes with some risk, north america's natural gas producers are committed to safely and responsibly providing generations of cleaner-burning energy for our country, drilling thousands of feet below fresh water sources within self-contained well systems.

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mike, give us a sense of what the flooding is like, and clarify, if you will, because there were some reports about the boardwalk being impacted. >> there are reports -- now, i vbt been able to get close to the boardwalk, but the boardwalk partially collapsed here in atlantic city, and i have a special guest that's going to hopefully clear few that as well. just to give you an idea. in front of me say consinges have center. we're in the heart here of atlantic city, and really most pertinent behind me is this storm surge flooding. if i continue to walk, it would get two to three feet deep. i have seen some suvs already have tougher time getting around in all of this, and one is coming up right now. i mean, basically this is a ghost town. erie feeling driving in on the atlantic city expressway as we basically that water could be lapping over soon. with me right now lieutenant c.k. moore of the united states coast guard. how fast is this storm surge

water hit atlantic city? >> i know we went from a few inches over the sea wall to about two to four feet in the matter of an hour and a half, two hours this morning alone. >> talk about danger zones. are people calling up or needing rescues at this point? >> we've received a few calls. a lot of them -- we didn't -- we -- >> you can't get to them right now? >> not at all. >> your equipment is under water or -- >> it's not under water. it's out in philadelphia in cherry hill, new jersey. once the storm passes, we'll get it back in and start doing the assessments. >> what capability do you have to help people right now? >> we have nothing as far as vehicles or boats that we can help them with right now. it's all information. tell them to get to higher ground. two three days, depending on how the power goes, and to play it smart. take it seriously. >> does it surprise you how fast this is coming, and you and i

are standing in wind gusts at least 50 miles per hour right now? >> yes, i am very, very surprised. i have been through a few in my career between rita, katrina, and some other ones over my career, but i have never seen one that came with this type of intensity this quick and that's moving this slow. this is a little different for us, and we've been making proper precautions to make sure we were set for this type of storm. >> absolutely. lieutenant, thanks again. appreciate your time. suzanne, i had a chance to talk to some people as i was coming in who were getting out of here, families just, you know, it's not safe, so they're at hotels and basically they're making a family event out of it. they want to be safe. they are cuddled in lobbies watching smuf our coverage as we speak. >> mike, we appreciate it. i know your mike -- it's hard to hear you there. if you kshgs just follow-up on whether or not that boardwalk is actually collapsed or not. i know there are conflicting reports about what the state of the boardwalk is it. we'll get back to you as soon as we can clear up some of that sound a little bit, and, of course, you knowing, the presidential election -- we're talking about days away.

hurricane sandy is turning out really to be what we were all talking about. it's an october surprise. well, the storm causing both the president and mitt romney cancel several campaign visits. the president was supposed to rally with former president bill clinton in florida. that's not happening. president obama, he arrived back in d.c. got off air force one. you can see the pictures there. quickly got into the motorcade. normally he is flown in a rain chopper from the joint andrews base in maryland, but weather forcing a road trip back to the white house. that often happens when the weather is pretty bad. they don't want to take any security risks or chance there's. the president scheduled to make remarks about hurricane sandy. that is happening at about 20 minutes or so, 12:45 eastern to be exact, so keep it right here because we're obviously going to dip into that. going to carry his speech live, the briefing. he will talk, obviously, about what the white house and the administration is doing, the number of phone calls, conference calls that he has been making throughout the

morning and throughout the weekend preparing for hurricane sandy. of course, in the midst of all of this, we've got new national polls showing mitt romney holding a slight lead in the presidential race, but the president seems to have a hold on some of the key battleground states. our latest poll of polls, it's an average of several recent surveys shows that romney with a 48% as opposed to president obama at 45%. that is among likely voters nationally. want to bring in our political director mark preston. mark, wow. the october surprise. nobody really saw it coming, but it is very important, and you have fundraisers that have been canceled. you have campaign rallies that aren't happening. eight days to go. clearly, both of these campaigns are looking at ways to adjust. how do we think ultimately this is going to shake out in the days ahead? >> well, you know, suzanne, certainly in the near-term as you said campaign events now are being canceled. president obama in a short time will brief the nation on what he has learned and what the preparations are up and down the

east coast right now, but the campaign still goes on, and, in fact, just about an hour ago some of his campaign advisors held a conference call with us in the media to give us an update on the race, and, in fact, one of the questions to his chief strategist david axelrod was how do you see this playing out over the next eight days? how do you think president obama will be able to campaign? will he be able to campaign, and what do you think about governor romney? let's listen to the audio of david axelrod answering that question. >> i'm not going to tell governor romney what to do and, frankly, i don't think he is going to ask for my opinion either, but as far as the president goes, he has real responsibilities, and he, you know -- those responsibilities come first, and, you know, he is in constant contact with craig fugate, janet napolitano and all those with responsibility here and is going to monitor this. obviously, it's a very, very concerning situation. you know, in temz of the logistics, you know, we're

obviously going to lose a bunch of campaign time, but that's as it has to be, and we'll try and make it up on the back end. so for us it's not a matter of optics. it's a matter of responsibility, and governor romney can decide for himself what he wants to do. >> and there you have david axelrod, chief strategist for president obama just a short time ago explaining how the obama campaign will spend their focus over the next couple of days. what president obama plans to do, but just a short time after that call, the romney campaign put out a statement, and let's just show this very quickly if we can from the communications director saying out of sensitivity for the millions of americans in the path of hurricane sandy, we are cancelling tonight's events with governor romney in wisconsin and congressman ryan in melbourne, and lakeland, florida. we are also cancelling all events currently scheduled for both governor romney and congressman ryan on tuesday. governor romney believes this is a time for the nation and its leaders to come together to focus on those americans who are

in harm's way. we will provide additional details regarding their schedules when they are available. so at this point right now, suzanne, the state of the campaign, president obama was supposed to hold a rally this morning in florida. he did not attend. he came back to washington. governor romney is participating in some campaign events as we speak, but this evening he will not be -- will he cancel his events later this evening. there will be no events tomorrow, suzanne, so, yes, eight days before the election, this sandy has thrown a big wrench to the campaign. >> is there any sense from the obama campaign that this really allows the president to do something that mitt romney can't do, which is look presidential to have a real test of his leadership at a time that is critical to the nation? >> well, you know, suzanne, they won't outwardly say that, but, in fact, this is an opportunity for president obama, i think, to be able to step up and show that he is a leader, and i think that's why we saw governor romney take the action and cancel his campaign events as well. governor romney did pretty well in this last presidential debate, which was about foreign policy, but in many ways that debate was about being the

commander in chief and being able to lead, and i think that's what we'll see president obama try to portrait over the next 48 hours, and i think governor romney is going to try to do that as well. >> all right. we'll be watching closely. thank you, mark. good to see you. live pictures from atlantic city, new jersey, where hurricane sandy is pounding the coast. the eye of the storm expected to make landfall there between 8:00 and midnight eastern tonight. as we mentioned, president obama, he is cancelling campaign events to stand by those being hit by this beast of a storm. >> my message to the governors as well as to the mayors is anything they need, we will be there. >> we'll hear the president live later in the hour about 20 minutes or so is when he is scheduled to speak from the white house. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered,

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those of pictures of eastern shore, maryland, watching hurricane sandy. already slamming parts of the coastline, and the northeast. rain and winds pounding parts of new york. right now hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated.

millions others hunkering down. the city is basically shut down. we're talking about no public transportation. schools are closed. broadway shows canceled. even the stock exchange market closed. the mayor says parts of the city could see a storm surge of up to 12 feet high. that's going to happen later today. john berman is in battery park. this is a low-lying section of manhattan, for those that don't know. i understand this is where the surge could actually hit, is that right? >>. >> absolutely. earlier this morning about three hours ago at high tide, there was a small storm surge. it came right up over this wall right here, and it flooded this area, about eight inches off the ground right here. i was walking in water. that's a small fraction of what it will be like tonight at high tide. high tide here about 8:50 tonight. you know we heard mayor michael bloomberg a while ago after 8:00 tonight things can get really, really bad, and that is exactly right. they're expecting a storm surge here anywhere from 6 to 11 feet. that would be very, very high.

a full two feet higher than we saw last year during hurricane irene, and that did cause some minor flooding here, but six to 11 feet would cause major flooding downtown here in the vakz zone. some 300,000 people were told to evacuate. also the our burroughs. over the course of the last few hours i have seen a number of people here, tourists and the like, coming in to take a look at how things are out in the water there. the police come by every few minutes and tell them to get out of here. this is not a good place to be. as i said, it flooded this morning. this will flood again tonight. you can bet on it. the mayor says everyone should be careful. you can't see a storm surge coming. it's not like big lapping waves. it's a slow creeping rise in the water, and by tonight at 8:50 it will be very, very high. >> john, show us that statue behind you there, because we noticed earlier in the day when the water was rising, that it

really had gotten quite high in that statue. do we anticipate that that might actually be under water tomorrow or by that second surge? >> that is the merchant marine statue, and earlier this morning when it was high tide and we did see that storm surge, it was up on top lapping on top of the statue. i don't think it will be above their heads. if it were, that would be terrible, but i think you can see water higher than my waist here for sure. it was this high this morning, and that was nothing compared to what we're expecting tonight. >> all right. we hope that people stay in and heed the warnings. thank you very much. of course, we'll continue to watch cmn for the latest on hurricane sandy. >> we have done everything we possibly can to prepare you for the impact of this storm. now, that's -- now it really is time for us to stay home, hang on, pray, and hope for the best. we are prepared for the absolute worst. anncr: every president inherits challenges.

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pictures there asbury park, new jersey. you can see the waves there, and just the intense wind that is also blowing as well. we're talking about this massive storm. it already has a deadly history churning along the mid-atlantic coastline. top wind speeds 90 miles per hour now. hurricane sandy is now blamed for 67 deaths in the caribbean and forecasters say it is on a collision course with the northeast. tlast check it was just 205 miles southeast of atlantic city, new jersey. now, the massive storm could affect 60 million people from virginia to massachusetts. forecasters xep sandy to combine with a cold front and form a super storm that is likely to cause flash flooding, massive power outages, and snowstorms. fema, of course, the federal emergency management agency says the storm damage from wind alone could reach $3 billion in its

costs. one of the biggest challenges now, keeping the power on. getting it back when it does go down. when that freak blizzard hit the northeast last october, there was more than two million people in five states left without power. some for weeks. hurricane irene left four million people in the dark last year. david owens is the executive vice president of edison electrical institute. he is in washington, and, david, i really want you to kind of lay this out for us, if you will, because i know the last go-round, my parents were lucky. they were in the area. the power -- the lines are underneath the ground, so they didn't lose power, but a lot of folks in d.c. and maryland lost power and couldn't get it back for weeks. how do you know if, first of all, you are going to be the one that's probably going to lose power, and how long before you can actually get it back? >> well, you really don't, but i will say this is a storm of dimensions we've never seen before. many suggest it's the 100-year storm. tremendous flooding. as you pointed out, the storm is moving very, very slowly.

15 miles per hour. covering an area of over 1,000 miles in diameter, so it's tremendous. torrential rains, tremendous flooding. wind gusts up to 90 miles per hour, so we anticipate that there will be some tremendous destruction of electric utility property, which is necessary to keep the lights on, so we're very concerned, but we have been getting prepared for this storm for several days. we have personnel that are coming from as far west as washington state to help in any restoration efforts with respect to the loss of electricity. >> now, we're already getting reports. 116,000 people without power across seven states. >> yes. >> do you think -- i mean, are you more at risk if you are in a place where there's going to be cold and there's going to be a snow storm, a snow element, or where it's warm and there's going to be rain? >> well, you're at risk if you are in the coastal areas, and there's a lot of flooding because what can happen is our substations -- these are elements that are necessary to

provide electricity, and substations can become flooded, and that will disrupt electric flow. you're at risk if you are in areas where there's tremendous trees with wind gusts of the 90 miles per hour. it is very likely that some of those trees will blow over into power liens. you're at risk when you are in areas of trees when there's a tremendous saturation of the soil. with heavy rain like we're having today and we'll have tomorrow, the soil will become so saturated trees will topple over. all of those are areas that we anticipate and we're going to be prepared to address them. this storm will last through tuesday or wednesday. we'll have to assess the damage that's occurred to our physical systems, and we'll have to slowly begin to restore service. s obviously, our first responders are a top priority. >> we heard governor chris christie in new jersey saying, look, don't do something stupid like trying to jerry-rig the electricity if you are out of power, but realistically here, how much time should you prepare

to be without power? how many days? i mean, could we see something like we saw the last time when it was weeks? >> well, you know, nobody wants to be without electricity for even five minutes. as i mentioned earlier, we'll begin to restore electricity assuming the storm and the winds have died down probably by tuesday or wednesday. we'll begin to assess the damage, so this could be an extended outage. i can't give you a precise number because, again, the storm has not hit this area yet. we're beginning to brace for the storm's forcefulness. we'll be able to assess and will keep our customers well informed. i've been encouraging customers to call the utility, check their web sites, they'll get day to day, hour by hour information about the extent of the damage and the estimated restoration times. >> david owens, good luck to you, and to so many out there who will be dealing with this. appreciate it. the storm has everybody talking and tweeting as well. i want you to take a look.

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new york stock exchange is closed today. the new york subway closed as well. roads across the northeast are closing or are closed already. that has left millions of folks at home from work today and then, of course, there's the cost, the potential damage. it's all adding up. alison is joining us with early estimates of all this, but before we discuss that, i do want to address something that we are just getting word of and learning here. if you can talk about the possibility of the jobs report not coming out on friday as

expected because of the labor department being closed for a couple of days. what do we know about that? >> exactly. so we did get word that the labor department is considering delaying releasing the october jobs report, and this is interesting timing because you remember the election is coming up tuesday. there's been, you know, a lot of talk as to whether or not the release would impact the election. we did reach out so the labor department, they've yet to get back to us. they still have to decide whether or not they'll be able to put all the data together in time for the friday release. suzanne. >> tell us a little bit about what we are seeing so far in costs of this storm before it's even hit. >> yeah. i mean, estimates at this point are all over the map. s you know, when all is said and done you'll probably be able to measure it in the billions. i'm talking about the damage. the numbers we're seeing so far in overall economic impact are anywhere from $10 billion to $20 billion. that includes insured losses and property damage. there are some firms and economyists we've been talking with. they agree with this measure. you know, you look at the other

hurricanes in the past. irene. there was a $10 billion damage from that storm. ike was in 2008, $20 billion in damages. this one, though, is so big the estimate i'm talking about is because there are more than a quarter of a million homes in line for sandy to hit. fema says wind damage alone could run anywhere from $2.5 billion to $3 billion. there's also concern about how much business is being lost as well, and that's harder to measure because, you know, when a business closes up for a couple of days, that's lost business. you can't really get that back. that's another consideration. economists also say, suzanne, is it may be enough to reduce gdp this quarter. that's interesting as well. >> alison, just want to you let you and our viewers know, we are waiting for president obama at the white house to give an update on the hurricane preps and what the white house administration has done so far. live pictures out of the briefing room as reporters stand there and basically give a

preview of what effect the president is able to walk out to the podium. dwoent know whether or not he will actually take a few questions. we anticipate that there will be questions, but he certainly will have a statement getting an update. he has met in the situation room. he has talked with leaders of fema. he has held some news -- well, not news conferences, but, rather, conference calls with some of his key administration figures to talk about what needs to happen. he has also called a state of emergency in those states along the northeast that are going to be severely impacted by this weather event. alison, i want to ask you very briefly as we wait for the president to step up there to the mike. the importance of the job numbers here because when you talk about the fact that we might not get that on friday, that is a number that a lot of people are going to be looking at and we're going to be look at because of the political impact here to make the case. either the president that has done a good job or -- oh, the president is speaking.

let's listen. >> i just received a full briefing from our emergency response teams, including fema and agencies that are going to be helpful in the response and recovery efforts. the department of energy, the department of transportation, the department of homeland security and the department of health and human services. obviously everybody is aware at this point that this is going to be a big and powerful storm, and all across the eastern seaboard i think everybody is taking the appropriate preparations. i have spoken to all the governors in all these states. they have issued emergency declarations. those have been turned around quickly here in the white house. we have prepositioned assets so that fema personnel are working closely with state and local governments. we're making sure that food and water and emergency generation is available for those communities that are going to be hardest hit. we anticipate that the center of the storm is going to hit

landfall sometime this evening, but because of the nature of this storm we are certain that this is going to be a slow-moving process through a wide swath of the country, and millions of people are going to be affected, so the most important message that i have for the public right now is please listen to what your state and local officials are saying when they tell you to evacuate, you need to evacuate. do not delay. don't pause. don't question the instructions that are being given because this is a serious storm, and it could potentially have fatal consequences if people haven't acted quickly. the good news is that the governors and local officials i think have had a few days of preparation. there's been extraordinarily close coordination between state, federal, and local governments, and so we're confident that the assets are

prepositioned for an effective response in the aftermath of the storm, but keep in mind that for folks who are not following instructions, if you are not evacuating when you have been asked to evacuate, you're putting first responders at danger. we're going to have to have search and rescue teams in and around multiple states all at the same time, and although we've got coast guard and the department of defense all positioned, if the public is not following instructions, that makes it more dangerous for people and it means that we could have fatalities that could have been avoided. transportation is going to be tied up for a long time, and probably the most significant impact for a lot of people in addition to flooding is going to be getting power back on. we anticipate that there are going to be a lot of trees down, a lot of water, and despite the fact that the power companies are working very closely with their various state officials and local officials to make sure

that they are bringing in as many assets as possible in getting those ready in preparation for the storm, the fact is that a lot of these emergency crews are not going to be able to get into position to start restoring power until some of these winds have died down and because of the nature of the storm that may make -- that may take several days, so the public should anticipate that there's going to be a lot of power outages and it may take time for that power to get back on. the same is true with transportation. there are going to be a lot of backlogs, and even after the storm has cleared, it's going to take considerable amount of time for airlines, subways, trains, and so forth potentially to get back on schedule depending on the amount of damage that has occurred. let me summarize just by saying that i'm extraordinarily grateful for the cooperation. state and local officials. the conversation that i've had with all the governors indicate that at this point there are no

unmet needs. i think everybody is taking this very seriously. we've got prepositioned all the resources that we need, but right now the key is to make sure that the public is following instructions. for those of you who still need additional information about how to respond, you can go to ready.gov. that's ready.gov, and that website should provide you with all the information that your family needs in terms of how you can prepare for this storm. our thoughts and prayers go out to all the people who are potentially affected. we are extraordinarily grateful for our first responders because they are going to be working 24-7 around the clock monday stop, and i want to make sure that our thoughts and prayers go out to all those who may end up dealing with a very difficult situation over the next several days. last point i'll make, though, this is going to be a big storm. it's going to be a difficult

storm. the great thing about america is when we go through tough times like this, we all pull together. we look out for our friends. we look out for our neighbors. we set aside whatever issues we may have otherwise to make sure that we respond appropriately and with swiftness and that's exactly what i anticipate is going to happen here. so i want to thank all the federal teams, state, and local teams that are in place. i'm confident that we're ready, but i think the public needs to prepare for the fact that this is going to take a long time for us to clean up. the good news is we will clean up, and we will get through this. all right? >> when will you get back to the election, sir? >> i am want worried at this point about the impact on the election. i'm worried about the impact on families, and i'm worried about the impact on our first responders. i'm worried about the impact on our economy, and on transportation. the election will take care of itself next week. right now our number one

priority is to make sure that we are saving lives, that our search and rescue teams are going to be in place, that people are going to get food, the water, the shelter that they need in case of emergency, and that we respond as quickly as possible to get the economy back on track. all right? >> what kind of impact? >> president obama saying that he is putting off his concerns about the election that he wants to make sure that people are safe. he is offering his thoughts and prayers. the president also saying that he is mobilized all of the assets of the white house. he has met with departments of energy, transportation, homeland security as well as health and human services. he says that he has reached out to all the governors of the states that will be impacted by this hurricane. emergency declarations have also been declared. he says he is confident in working with the governors, reaching out to them that they have been preparing for the last two days, that they have what they need, but he also says, too, he warns that this is going to make landfall in the evening. it will be a slow-moving process. that millions of people will be

impacted by this storm. he says it is a big and powerful storm. a couple other things he warns. he says that while the coast guard is in place, while they have assets prepositioned, that transportation is going to take a long time to actually get back to normal. he also said it's going to take a long time to get power back. a lot of trees are going to go down. there's going to be a lot of water involved as well. again, he is trying to appear confident and tell the american people that this is something that obviously we can get through, but, again, that it is going to be, in his words, a difficult time to do that. if you are in sanitiedy's path, fema tweeted some helpful information today. you want to take a look at this. phone lines may be congested during or after sandy, so to let your loved ones know that you are okay, send a text or update your social networks. [ male announcer ] this is sheldon, whose long dy setting up the news

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>> ripping a path up the mid-atlantic coast. this is where preparations have been going on for a couple of days. president obama visited the national response coordination center in washington just yesterday to check out the emergency operations going on there and across the region where sandy could affect 60 million people. windows boarded up. store shelves are empty now. elizabeth cohen is talking about preps. i was in maryland over the weekend, and -- >> so you saw -- >> yeah. hours long lines for costco and safeway and people at the airport just clambering to get out. if you are there for the eye of the storm, what should you be doing? >> if you are still in a place where you can get out and go shopping and there are some people in that situation, here's your shopping to do list.

>> it really depends on what area are you in and what the forecast is for your area, but if you have five gallons per person, that is good for a time. that's -- that may keep you for a while. >> and a three to five day nonperishable food. that covers that span of time, and also a portable radio, flashlight, and extra batteries. those batteries so so important. all of this great stuff is not going to be useful to you if you have no power and have no batteries. also, a first-aid kit and prescription medicine. here's what you need to know about that. first of all, remember that refrigerated food doesn't last long. that is only good for four hours, and that's if you keep the door closed. if you are opening and close it while the power is out, it's even less than that. don't eat food beyond that window because if you are sick, you are not going to be able to, you know, make the decisions and

help your family and what not. be careful about that. avoid windows and go into the basement. also, bring blankets with you, and some some of these areas you will be stuck there for a while, and it will get cold. >> i have also heard, too, as much as, you know, the power goes out, people love to light candle, but that's want a good idea because there have been so many accidents with houses lighting on fire and -- >> the firefighter are not going to be able to get to you. there's an excellent chance they won't be able to get to you, so you have to be extremely careful. >> what if you have to seek shelter? >> if you have to seek shelter and if you are wondering where to go and if you do still have power, go to cnn.com/empowered patient, we have a list of shelters. go on the list, and it does it by area, and can you see all of that there. we also have a longer list of all of the things that you should have with you and the precautions you should be taking, and there are shelters open up and down the eastern seaboard. >> if you need medical attention, what should you do some. >> you know, every situation is going to be different. some places there will be power. some places there won't be power. certainly having a fully char d

charged -- you know, hope that there is. if your land lines are out, have that fully charged cell phone and have extra batteries for your cell phone if you have one where they exchange. hopefully -- i have been certainly in hurricane situations where you can still get an ambulance to come to you. >> all right. elizabeth, thank you. >> thanks. >> good luck to everybody. we are feeling the impact of this potentially historic super storm here in the united states right now. the same storm that has already hit cuba, haiti, on its way to canada. suzanne malveaux, let's get to it. hurricane sandy is a massive storm. it is taking aim at the northeast. as many as 60 million people are now in its path. it is expected to make landfall

this evening. at last check sandy was churning along the coast about 205 miles to the northeast of atlantic city, new jersey. it's causing flooding many some areas out of new york's long island. michael bloomberg urged people to evacuate areas to leave quickly while they still can. >> it's also for the safety of the first responders who might have to rescue people to remain and whose own lives could be put at risk because of that. the window for you getting out safely is closing. as the winds start building this afternoon, it gets more and more dangerous to go outside. you are sort of caught between a rock and a hard place. you should have left, but it's also getting to be too late to leave. all along the mid-atlantic coast

could bring you the very latest on hurricane sandy. there's a group there of forecasters expecting sandy to make landfall possibly along the jersey shore or the delmarva peninsula. it's an area that includes delaware, parts of maryland, and virginia. coastal maryland already getting pounded by strong waves and high surf. let's take a look at those pictures. want to get an update from our meteorologist chad myers and the hurricane center. chad, you have been warning us. you told us this was going to be big. you told us it was going to be historic. where is it now, and when are we looking at it? >> i don't even want to look at the center. i need to look at the wind field. maybe the center of circulation, and maybe wilmington. up into the bay there. that's not the story. the story is that this wind field and this storm surges all the way to long island. it's all the way to connecticut and rhode island. it's going to make wind and waves as far south as north carolina, and it already has. pushing water up the chesapeake, making a snowstorm in west

virginia. there are so many arms to this storm. so many different things, to so many different people. waves will crash on shore in maine of 24 feet. there will be waves on top of a 20 foot storm surge on long island. you can't put your head around how many people are actually in the way of this. >> chad, where is it now? can you tell us where it is now in the path of the storm? >> finally, finally we can see it on the radar. for most of its life it's been far off shore. we couldn't show you the radar. we had to show you this satellite. we can now show you the center of circulation that's right there, and if i draw a line just a vertical line right across here, that would be right at the border between delaware and maryland. is it still has a northward movement to it. i don't know how long that northward movement will -- >> lost our feed. >> all right. chad, we lost your mike there.

we're going bring you back just to talk about the details. as soon as we get you miked there, we want to talk about lower manhattan. that is where waves started pushing into battery park. it happened around 9:00 thoshg. new york, of course, not taking any chances. officials, they have shut down the subway. broadway shows canceled. united nations offices as well closed. new york stock exchange, that is closed as well. there's a mandatory evacuation order for a 375,000 people across the five bureaus. i want to bring in debra, who is in the village there. deb, we saw the mayor, and he told new yorkers that if you live along the waterfront, you got to head to higher ground, and he also the evacuation zones. tell us about the success. are people actually leaving or trying to wait this thing out? >> i don't know if you just saw the crowd of people who passed behind me. the thing about new york city is it still has a pulse. even in the worst kind of weather. people are still out and about. i asked one woman, you know, what is the zero sort of sum

game here in terms of, like, when do you get inside, and she said, you know what, she just didn't feel like she had reached that point yet. when you think of manhattan, manhattan is sort of a long oval, and around it you have highways. now, the highways are, in fact, beginning to flood. the water just happens -- >> i -- we just lost deb. we're going to try to get back to her as soon as possible, giving us the very latest there. we want to head to atlantic city. the casinos are closed there as of noon by the order of the g chris christie. the city's convention center is now a shelter to storm refugees. a lot of folks who are taking shelter there. i want to bring our chad myers back because i understand we've got a microphone that is working, and you've got a lot of really important details. chad. >> i put a brand new battery in it, i expect them to last. i don't know what happened to that. anyway, here's the center of circulation. all this wind is moving on shore, and it's piling water into long island sound, and it's going to pile water into new york harbor, and we are going to get a segment storm surge there.

we're going to get breaching of the barrier islands from about sea side down to sea bright. this is going to be a big deal as the water overwashes those bare dwrerier islands back into toms river as the water surges up into new jersey. we are going to get wind and waves and even some of the waefrz here along the patio mac that may be splashing high enough and push up the patomac high enough to push flooding there. this is such a widespread storm with waves and winds into boston and rhode island and even into maine and as far south here where most of the heavy rainfall will be into virginia. i'm worried a lot about five inches of rainfall and winds even at 50 miles per hour. so many trees are going to come tumbling down in maryland and virginia, and that's not even the center of this storm. the center is going to move into new jersey, into southern pennsylvania, and that's one of those 60 to 80-mile-per-hour winds are. this is a 90-mile-per-hour storm right now. when it comes, on 90-mile-per-hour winds sustained, gusts over that will knock down literally almost every tree in its path. sthoo thank you, chad.

appreciate it. >> i want to go back to new york. i believe we have debra who is back up. what can you give us, the latest? >> you know, we are going to tell you, suzanne, when you think of manhattan, manhattan is like a long thin oval, and around the edges you have these highways. that sort of is the most threatening part of this point. inside right in the interior by central park, you know, that's pretty much insulated and so the wind is less strong. the rain feels less strong. here we are getting a full dose of it. i turn around, and there's a whole crowd of people behind me because right now people are just trying to check it out. it's the very thing that officials are saying don't do. they're saying go inside. the majority of people there clearly inside. just to kind of heck it out for themselves. as i mentioned, this highway, parts of it are beginning to flood. just towards that bridge there you can see the holland tunnel. the holland tunnel is going to be close to 2:00. that tunnel goes into new jersey.

you know, as i was driving down north avenue to get here, a lot of the restaurants were closed. the majority of restaurants. manhattan and various restaurants of culture. majority are closed. you have a couple of corner stores that are open. nothing like yesterday. it looked like a run on the bailey's savings and loan with people trying to get flashlights and lanterns and food. that has really passed. the people that kind of have taken -- it's a day off. it's sort of almost like a snow day. here's what some people had to say, suzanne. >> i was here last year. it wasn't this bad this early. it's all the way over the bank, so this could be a bad storm. all my extra guys in, and we're hoping that, you know, we'll brave it out. >> reporter: suzanne, can you see over here, this is one of the buildings that's just kind of past the highway. there have been a couple of sand bags. some of the windows have, in fact, been boarded up. they're waiting for the surge.

this area does tend to get a lot of rain, and even a couple of inches here. cars can float away. people protecting against that. the sense we feel down here in this particular a-zone, people have gone to visit friends. others, they're -- they are riding it out. that's kind of what new yorkers do, suzanne. >> so we don't suspect a lot of people are going to the evacuation shelters they've set up? essentially they're going to try to do it on their own? >> reporter: we've checked into some of the evacuation centers. there are some people there, but what we're hearing from the folks here is that mostly they're going to go to friends. they're going to friends that are less in the a-zone and maybe uptown or closer to central park. the parts of the city that are really insulated and protected. again, we've seen a number of lights on in the building. folks are -- who knows what the numbers are, but people have enough food to certainly last the next 24-48 hours, suzanne. >> all right. we wish them well, deb.

thank you. >> really extraordinary pictures where she is, and i understand that there is sheet metal that is now flying off the roofs. sandia, what do you know? >> yeah, suzanne. we're already seeing the effects of hurricane sandy, and sandy has not even approached the land yet. again, as you mentioned, sheet metal separating from the hotel here we are standing in front of, and we are taking a look at the -- to show you the effects, the damage caused by the efforts of hurricane sandy. you can see those enormous waves. again, this is low tide, but take a look at the erosion on the beach here. see this fencing? it has all been swept away by the water. the rough sea. these posts are what's left behind. take a look all along the beach here. all you see left are the posts and there used to be fencing to really have this sand dune here to protect this area because this is what the area wants to

protect. those waterfront residents right there, so these sand dunes were protective, but all morning long during high tide we saw these waves go over these sand dunes and really flood the area, bringing this dirt and sand back into the water and that is why we're seeing this massive beach erosion here. the force of the water was so strong, that is why this fencing has completely been destroyed, and they're going to have to refence this area. obviously, bring in more sand and dirt to create these barriers, these sand dawns after this is all said and done, but, again, suzanne, we haven't really felt the brunt of hurricane sandy yet. you can see the devastation behind in -- >> you were talking about the shooelt sheet metal that was literally flying off of the building. was this something that was really attached to the building? was this a part of the roof, the structure of the building itself? i mean, that suggests some pretty powerful winds. >> yeah, absolutely. we've been feeling those wind

gusts all morning long. take a look at the balcony of the hotel. you can see that taupe colored sheet metal that's kind of the roofing of this property, and that is what is celebrating from the foundation of the building and it's clearly a dangerous situation. if you pan over here, you can also see, suzanne, where that light bulb burst yesterday. we saw that glass shater and fall on the pool deck as well. we're clearly bracing for more wind gusts and we've been feeling the effects all morning long. we have just lesched that the -- that in addition to the other states. obviously, they'll be intacted. the president reaching out to the governor's of those states saying they are prepared to coordinate with fema.

again, another one put on the list here. state of emergency now in delaware. here's what we are working on for this hour. the president also talking about the seriousness of hurricane sandy. meanwhile, the president and mitt romney cancelling campaign events because of this storm. we are live from many other cities in the storm's path from alexandria, virginia, to a flooded neighborhood on long island. stay with us. our reporters hard at work. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] some day, your life will flash before your eyes. ♪ make it worth watching. ♪ the new 2013 lexus ls. an entirely new pursuit.

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economy around. there were questions before about the labor department being closed for a couple of days, whether or not we were going to get those jobs numbers. well, now the administration official trying to reassure folks that those numbers will come out on friday as usual. we also are looking at connecticut here. connecticut governor dan malloy is on the line right now from hartford, and, governor, thank you for joining us. you are in the path of the storm as well. a couple of things i just want our viewers to note here that you said earlier. you said this is the most catastrophic event we have faced and been able to plan for in any of our lifetimes. we continue to do anything in our power to be ready. that sounds very, very serious. what did you mean by that? >> well, the potential surge in long island sound because of the presence of long island and the direction that the water is flowing and will be pushed by wind is that we will probably set a record for volume of water in long island sound and that we

anticipate if the current pricks hold that this will be the largest and perhaps most serious event that we face. >> what do you recommend for people right now? i understand because of dangerous driving conditions, allstate highways are closed now. it's a nonemergency vehicles starting at 1:00 this afternoon. if you have to get out of your house, well, what are the alternatives? >> well, we're not writing tickets for cars. that's -- we're trying to get trucks off right now. that's our focus, and also encourage people to stay home. if you are at home and at a place that we've already asked you to leave, then any time you can leave is a good time, unless you are surrounded by water, and tonight is our most critical time, depending on the wind at high tide and high tide begins in connecticut at 10:00 p.m. and then plays itself down the coast

until about midnight when people will have the highest volume in the western portion of the sound. you know, leave. we've told about 260,000 people that they should vacate where their residents are, and a good number of people are listening. >> is this a mandatory evacuation in your state? >> vacs are given on a local basis. we have told everyone to use category four maps for tonight's occurrence and i think the communities are doing a combination of mandatory and suggested depending on the local typography. >> what does that mean? if you are not someone who knows what category it is -- how do you know if you have to get ut or you should get out? >> our fire departments, police departments have gone door to door. our mayors are well aware of this. they are the people responsible

for carrying out the removal of folks on a local level. there are about 30 towns and cities, including three of our largest cities that are on long island sound, specifically stanford, bridgeport, and new haven, and then a lot of small towns as well. this work is underway and has been underway since yesterday morning. >> all right. governor malloy, thank you so much out of connecticut. we're going back to new york and head to new york's long island. hurricane's wind and rain slamming the city of lindenhurst. it's an inland community, and so some neighborhoods are already flooding, and jason carol who is in one of them -- jason, we saw earlier that people have boats out there. that's not uncommon for people to get in their boats and start heading out into the waters. is that a good idea? >> well, i have to tell you, suzanne, it depends upon who you ask. you know, in terms of whether they should stay, whether they should go. i spoke to some people earlier today in this neighborhood of lindenhurst, long island, who

decided it was time to get out and leave. i think you saw in a in the last hour. some are deciding they want to stay and do what they can to try to help their home. i want you to take a look at this street here. i know it looks more like a canal because canals crisscross this area. the tide has been rising throughout this area here. the water has been coming up throughout the day. right now i've got some guys here that have got rubber boat here. this is what you have been using, correct? >> yeah, that's correct. >> we've been use this to transport our generators and to get out of the house. >> you decided to stay. lindenhurst is under a mandatory evacuation. what is it going to take guys like you to take boats like this, put them in a safe spot and get out? >> i think just my family is leaving. my wife and kids are leaving. a couple of friends are going to stay with me tonight, and we're going to stick it out just to keep an eye on the house and make sure no houses burn down. >> i know paul back there. paul come around this side for us. i know you guys that lost power at one point. power is now back on. you have also been keeping track in terms of how the water has

been rising, and receding. what have you learned so far? >> we're keeping track of the high tides. last night was the first high tide where it got bad. it's seven inches in front of my house. this morning high tide was -- >> hold on, everybody. >> high tide was -- this morning high tide was one foot nine inches in front of my house. we have another high tide coming at 11:00 tonight, so that's the question. how much of the water gets out and then how much more on top of that? that will be the one to watch. i plan on measuring it. >> and, paul, as people look at what we're doing right here, when you look down the street, the water does get deeper, of course. we're seeing it in an area where at least it's manageable to stand, and we're keeping everyone as safe as possible. i think emergency officials who are watching this are going to be saying they would encourage you gentlemen like yourselves to pack up and to get out. >> that's why they live inland. at least you still have a sense of humor. that's greatly appreciated. i'm going to let you guys go about doing your thing. you saidure going to be moving your furniture upstairs to try to keep it out of harm's way,

but your family, most of your family has headed out? >> will be leaving. my kids will be leaving in a little while, and we're going to move as much furniture as we can upstairs to reduce the losses. >> real quickly, i want to point out that the residents here tell me that as -- if terms of the way things look now, this is already far worse than irene got at its worst, and we haven't even seen the worst of sandy yet. correct? >> absolutely. absolutely. irene, this was as high as irene got, and i think we'll get another couple of feet on top. >> another couple of feet on top of what we're experiencing now, again. water -- when you go down the street it's high thy-high already. >> all right. i'm curious how is he going to get those kids out, but we've run out of time, so maybe we'll get back to you, and maybe he can help us understand how he is moving the family out with that little boat. >> if are you trying to fly out of the northeast, are you probably out of luck. thousands of flights canceled because of the storm. we'll show you where. i've been a superintendent for 30 some years at many different park service units across the united states. the only time i've ever had a break is when

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hurricane sandy having a major impact on the presidential campaign as well. the sform has caused both the president and mitt romney to cancel their campaign stops. the president spoke just molts ago from the white house on hurricane preps. >> we anticipate that the center of the storm is going to hit landfall sometime this evening, but because of the nature of this storm we are certain that this is going to be a slow-moving process through a wide swath of the country, and millions of people are going to be affected. >> jim accosta is in cleveland, ohio, with the romney campaign, so, jim, we know that both of these men have canceled their events and from the romney folks' perspective, from their campaign, what was the thinking behind it? >> well, suzanne, i think when the president started containsing his events, it probably started to dawn on the

romney campaign that it would be difficult to get out there and do a whole lot of campaigning in a time of national crisis. >> as you mentioned, the romney campaign did announce earlier today it is cancelling events for this evening and tomorrow. it is going to go ahead and carry through with an event set for davenport, iowa, later on this afternoon, and then that's it. suzanne, basically this campaign is in a holding pattern. it is in limbo until all of this passes. just so everybody knows, the governor is not going to be down for the next day and a half. they say don't describe it like that. the other thing we don't know where he will physically be. we assume at this point, suzanne, that they are work out those logistics. earlier today at an event just outside of cleveland, mitt romney did talk about the storm and what he would like to see americans do during this time of crisis. here's what he had to say.

>> i don't think there's been a hurricane in ohio for a long time, but there have been hurricane that is have caused a lot of damage across this country and hurt a lot of families. there are families in harm's way that will be hurt either in their possessions or? something more severe. >> another thing going on at the same time. paul ryan's events this evening and tomorrow have also been scrapped for the time being. we're sort of in unchartered water, suzanne. this is not something that happens right before an election. it's sort of the mother of all october surprises. >> all right, jim. thank you. appreciate it. giver us details when you know a little bit more about his schedule. school is out for hundreds of thousands of college students in

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massive storm of the deadly history is churning along the mid-atlantic coastline with top wind feeds now 90 miles per hour. hurricane sandy is blamed now for 67 deaths in the caribbean. now forecasters say it's on a collision course with the northeast. at last check it was about 205 miles southeast of atlantic city, new jersey. the massive storm could affect 60 million people from virginia to massachusetts. forecasters expect sandy to combine with a cold front and form a super storm that is likely to cause flash flooding, massive power outages, and snowstorms. fema, federal emergency management agency says storm damage from wind alone could reach $3 billion. from virginia to boston, classes

now canceled today at major colleges and universities. the list including harvard, m.i.t., american university, and virginia tech. here we've got some of the schools with the largest student populations. the city university of new york is the biggest. hundreds of thousands of students are now told to stay home today. people living along the atlantic coast preparing now for hurricane sandy to make landfall. we're going to see a repeat. are we going to see a repeat of last year when hurricane irene slammed into the northeast? >> do not underestimate this storm. these forecasts for the surge are really extraordinary. jen's car wasn't handling well.

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northeast is bracing for massive storm. hurricane sandy is on a collision course with the region, expected to make

landfall tonight. we are already seeing strong waves and rein along the mid-atlantic coast. the eye of the storm is taking aim at southern new jersey's shore as well as parts of delaware, maryland, and virginia. carol costello is in alexandria, virginia, across the patomac river. what's the biggest concern for folks right there where you are watching? >> reporter: there are so many concerns, suzanne, i can't possibly enumerate them all, but i'm going to giver it a shot. the rain is starting to come down harder. earlier it had felt like a weird early fall storm, the kind that made you really uncomfortable. certainly not like a hurricane because it's cold outside. i am in old town, alexandria, which is on the bank of the potomac river. it's right beside me. when the tide rises in the atlantic ocean, it pushes the water of the potomac river up and maybe over its banks. it happens a lot here. high tide is expected at 9:00 tonight. there's also going to be a full moon, so that makes the tide even higher.

it make the business owners here even more worried. you can see how close the businesses are to the potomac river. they're literally like, what, a couple of feet. business owners have been preparing for the last several days. oddly enough, though, i talk to the mayor of alexandria just about an hour ago, and he said flooding really isn't the major concern. power outages are. people get very impatient, he says, when the power goes out in these parts, and sometimes they do not so smart things. he has met with the utility companies over the past several days. he says everything is ready to go. >> the most significant part of the storm damage is going to not be the rain and flooding. it's going to be power outages for long durations. the power company is johnny on the spot. they're ready to be responsive as soon as they -- the winds die down so they can get out there and get people's powers back up and running. >> it's another meeting with the utility -- i will say, suzanne, the mayor has another meeting with the utility companies at

2:00 eastern this afternoon. over the weekend mayors all across the country were on a conference call with the department of homeland security and also fema. those folks telling him that the federal government is standing by with whatever the city of alexandria needs. the mayor says we're ready. come on, sandy. we're ready, but he also cautions citizens here to take precautions and to be smart about what they do. >> yeah. carole, you and i and local news have covered many flooding down in that very area. people there are really used to seeing the water rise. i'm suling like you say, it really is the power that's going to be the big problem there. what have you seen in the d.c. area? i know that the metro is now down. federal buildings are closed, and d.c. pretty much at a standstill. >> oh, yeah, the city of washington d.c. is like a ghost town because, you're right, all federal offices are closed. nonsteshl federal employees were told to stay home. metro services shut down wrish saw a few cabs, but not many.

if are you outside and you want to catch a cab in d.c., you're not likely to catch one. people are really staying home, but the rain is now starting to come down. every so often we'll feel a gust of wind, suzanne, so it hasn't really hit at its hardest yet. that probably will happen in the next few hours. by 9:00 tonight at high tide, though, that will be the most dangerous time for not only alexandria, but also washington d.c. you're right, d.c. is a ghosttown, and, frankly, that's awe good thing. >> all right. good to see you. thank you. hurricane sandy heading towards the coast. the new york stock exchange is closed today, and we are learning that it's also going to be closed tomorrow. the hope is that it's going to resume trading on wednesday. if all goes well. want to turn to today's mart is -- almost 60% of jobs gained in the recovery have been low wage jobs. we only seen strong employment growth in just a few sectors. one of them being health care. christine romans, she takes a look. >> how are you? good to see you.

>> thank you. >> shar main davis loves her job. >> lots of people -- i love hygiene. this is my passion. this is my career. >> flexibility, high pay, and growing demand put dental high genists at the top of this list of best health care jobs. ahead of audiologists, occupational thaurn is, physical therapists, and optmetrists. >> let's do an oral exam. >> the median income for dental high genists is $68,000. hiring is project eblgted to rise 38% by the year 2020. above average for an industry already on a hiring tear. more than three million health care jobs have been added over the last decade, and the industry is projected to grow nearly 30% by 2020. >> the data clearly says that virtually every occupation in health care will see job growth ranging from primary care and general surgery dentistry, even

psychologist, but the largest number of new jobs will be midlevel jobs. these will be jobs of technicians, of allied health professionals, of home health aids, even health coaches. >> here's the pay for those top jobs in health care. not all health care jobs are created equal. there's huge demand for home health and personal care aids, but they take home about $20,000 a year. good paying jobs like charmain's take investment and more school. >> i took the opportunity of doing it in the evenings. it was four days a week, and i worked full-time during the day and on the weekend. >> wow. so you were working so hard? >> i was working really hard. it was worth it. >> but these are investments you have to make in a career, right? a decision to not have a job but to have a career. >> that was my goal. >> she needed an associates degree. the typical program costs $30,000. charmain made the investment is collecting the dividends, and we're not just talking about the money. >> when they open that mouth -- >> nothing surprises me after 24

years. >> raing really? >> nothing. fwloo it feels good to get that plaque off? >> it does, and i do that polishing and walk out and get that beautiful smile. knowing that they're going to continue with their home care. >> she's the real deal. >> open as wide as you can for me. >> christine romans, cnn, new york. in pennsylvania the governor is warning that sandy is no ordinary storm. >> this storm is moving slowly and bringing high volumes of rain. essentially this is a hurricane wrapped in a nor'easter. >> people of philadelphia are making last-minute preparations. the city shelters are now filling up. we're going to tell you what the red cross is doing. americans believe they should be in charge of their own future.

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getting us news just in now. amtrak announcing it has canceled all travel through the northeast corridor through tuesday. amtrak cancelling transportation along the northeast coast. pennsylvania, governor tom corbin is now calling sandy a hurricane wrapped in a noor easter. in philadelphia the american red cross has shelters open for residents who don't want to ride it out at home, and joining us is dave schrader with the red cross. he joins us by phone. first of all, how many people have been seen today, and what kind of situation are they dealing with? >> right now we have 15 shelters open. we're approaching 300 people in those shelters throughout the greater southeastern pennsylvania territory. basically we are getting food, clothing, cots, blankets, pillows, comfort items, and most of the shelters are pet-friendly, so people are --

people can be reassured they can bring their pets. >> that's a good thing. who is actually showing up in shelters? are these mostly families, are the elderly people? what do we know? >> it's a pretty broad mix. it's elderly. there are lots of families with young children. i would say about a quarter of the people in this city are children. that's coming in. it's basically people that have decided they couldn't wait it out, they didn't want to tempt fate, i guess, and they decided i want to go to a shelter. >> if you need to go to a shelter, if are you thinking of going to a shelter, what should you bring or not bring? how should you prepare? >> basically you can bring whatever you feel comfortable. there's really no restricks on the kind of things that make you feel comfortable. you will -- you get a blanket and pillow, but you can still bring your own. bring your patients. you're going to need that for the next 12 to 24 hours, and you might want to bring some important papers, insurance documents, things like that, in case your home gets flooded, and you lose those papers, then you

have those with you, and the red cross can assist with you connect to the insurance companies and speed that process along. >> dave, finally real quickly here, if you are in a shelter, how long can you stay? how long are you prepared to actually house people as this storm moves through? >> the red cross is prepared to stay as long as it's necessary. as long as the need is there. we're staying open. there's no time limit on it reason. >> thank you very much. >> hurricane sandy claiming at least 67 lives so far. this morning the super storm took down a imaginistic tall ship off the north carolina coast. we have the ship's story and the latest on the search for survivors. a crash management system and the world's only tridion safety cell which can withstand over three and a half tons. small in size. big on safety. boring. boring. [ jack ] after lauren broke up with me,

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two crew members are still missing after the "hms bounty"

sank today off the coast of north carolina. this video was shot this morning as the coast guard plucked 14 other crew members from the icy atlantic waters. "the bounty," a replica of the ship involved in the 1789 muteny went down after fighting 18-foot waves and 40-mile-an-hour winds in hurricane sandy. the rescued crew members were airlifted to elizabeth city, north carolina. that is where george howell is reporting. he's joining us by phone. george, you've got the latest, the search and rescue here, for these two missing crew members. what do we know? two are still missing out many the water? >> reporter: suzanne, yes. two crew members still missing in the water and we know the coast guard is still actively searching for them. we know helicopters are out there as they continue the search effort. but we're talking about -- the video we just got from the coast guard, and quite frankly, suzanne, eve whan we've seen on the atlantic, this is an amazing rescue. they were able to go out and practically find a need until a haystack, finding 14 of these crew members. a couple of things we learned

from the people we spoke with, people who were on that mission, first of all, people on the "bounty" contacted the coast guard around 6:30 yesterday. so they've been out there for some time viewing that distress signal that their ship was going down, taking on water faster than the pumps could get the water out. the crew had pledged to abandon ship at 8:00 a.m. the next day, today, but they had to abandon ship much earlier, 4:00 a.m. so they were out in that water for some time. they sent out the distress signals they sent out, the coast guard came out with helicopters and they were able to find 14 people and bring them up. i spoke with the rescue swimmer, randy, and he told me what it was like to go down that hoist, to swim and find these people and bring them up. that's an interview i just did and we'll turn that around for you as quickly as we can. but an amazing rescue situation here when you consider what this crew wept through, these two

crews went through, to find these people. still looking for a few others. >> unbelievable, really, the efforts they have made. really quickly, george, do we know why they were out in there in the water like that when you had this hurricane coming? >> reporter: i asked the crew about that, and that's a question they're still trying to look into. we wanted to speak with some of the survivors, and one reason that we can is because the coast guard wants to do their own investigation first and understand exactly what was happening. but i do know one thing about this, and whether this was the case or not, we know the bounty typically goes from port to port, offering tours, and it's also possible that it went out to sea to ride out the storm. these are possibles. nothing confirmed yet. but we're trying to look into it to determine why they were out there. >> george howell, thank you so much. we certainly hope those two will be found and rescued safely. you're trying to fly out of the northeast, probably out of luck at this point.

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getting around in the super storm is going to be pretty difficult, especially if you're trying to fly. hurricane sandy is at least 350 miles wide and that has caused thousands of flight cancellations. you can see them there at some airports across the northeast have closed all together. united airlines alone has grounded 3,700 flights through wednesday. airlines are expected to lose millions of dollars for every day that the flights are grounded. philadelphia, washington, d.c., boston, and new york are among those cities affected. we've got a lot more on this. "cnn newsroom" continues right now with brooke baldwin. >> suzanne, thank you so much. an incredibly